HEALTHY WAYS TO GET TO 2-A-DAYS

A little less chichi with this one, and a little more eat-this-9-days-straight-without-getting-bored. This is my all-time favorite veg recipe, whether that’s for hosting or eating straight off the pan, alone, in under 5 minutes. Olé! The key with this broccoli is to burn it. And that makes it essentially foolproof! The more charred the florets…

A very purple variation on a theme, nothing beets vegetables + nuts + something sweet. Emphasis on something sweet, because raw beets are a punishment. So behold: sweet beets. These will transform your hands and entire kitchen into a questionable homicide, guaranteed! The original recipe calls for you to make a lil’ salad with the…

Back at it after a fun ‘n’ flirty first semester! And very ready to veg out. This will be the first of several posts on chichi vegetable recipes, intended to impress and intimidate guests (!) I was tasked with making the veggies for our pseudo-Christmas-Eve dinner, so these were also trial runs for the big…

1 day ’til school starts, 1 🐓 This post marks the end of the countdown to…I guess the rest of my life? Tomorrow’s my last first day of school (I hope) ever! I also hope it’s NOT the last day of posting on this blog, because I need at least one fun fact for team building…

2 days ’til school starts, 2 s Having previously discussed salads, it’s now time to discuss their best companions. The superior crouton. A gift of soy, from me, to-fu. The tofu crisp. The key to a substantive salad is good protein. Specifically, protein nuggets. Back when I ate more chicken/meat/fish, my argument was that a meal…

3 days ’til school starts, 3 🥗🥗🥗s My relationship with salads is a year-round affair, and I’m not weird or sad about it. I think they’re the bomb. Crunchy + bright + refreshing + fiber town, so you’re actually full for five minutes (!) I’ve also never understood the idea that salads are a punishment,…

4 days ’til school starts, 4 🍔🍔🍔🍔s I haven’t bought a single book for school, but I do have big plans for being food-prepared for it! Like mom-level, freezer-full-of-dinners ready. I’m currently swimming in spare time, and have some mediocre tupperware, so why not create a Doomsday freezer? I’ve decided the best guys for the job are…

A week late and a brisket short Armed with discounted Manischewitz So I missed Passover this year. For no reason. I just up and skipped it – the Seder, the kosher-for-Passover eating, and definitely the cleaning of the house. Chametz as far as the eye could see. But, true to form, the guilt did not pass me over….

Ahh breakfast potlucks. What a strange and necessary expectation you’ve become in my life. For some reason, VCU’s department of adult neurology celebrates/mourns/shrugs at all events by way of the breakfast potluck (BP). Having a baby? BP. Quitting in a fiery rage? BP. It’s Central Virginia’s Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day but only at our hospital?…

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln It’s not news to anyone that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one, or that the tiny sword that comes with your knife block is for dueling honing blades. Sharpening your knives is very much a Thing You…

Date night is one of my most sacred traditions, and the source of some of my happiest memories. I imagine it has been a real hindrance to my love life over the years, given that I rarely/never invite anyone else along. Indeed, 98% of my date nights have been on my own, and tailored to…

The first time I had bibimbap was a disaster. Or rather, I was a disaster. I was spending the day at Fort Eustis (remote army base), and had lunch with the recruiter at Royal Garden Korean & Japanese Restaurant (remote strip mall gem). I knocked not one, but two, glasses of water over within the first 10 minutes….